State report cites gains, challenges for Randolph schools

Saturday

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges has kept the accreditation of Randolph High School, citing some improvements while recommending that several changes need to be made.

The report, released by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, was voted upon by the Committee on Public Secondary Schools.

The school received high marks for its core value of respect, the pride of many teachers working together, and a caring and supportive culture for the students. It also received commendations in academic areas such as the curriculum format for the English Department; the implementation of the Academy of Global Studies and Leadership; and the use of the Socratic method to encourage communication and higher order of thinking. There are reasonable class sizes and time for support, the report noted.

On the negative side, some of these values needed improvement, including involvement of parents in the decision-making process. The committee voted to place Randolph High School on warning for the standards: Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations; Curriculum; and School Culture and Leadership.

Several recommendations that the committee put forth are:

* Plan and follow an inclusive process, with all stakeholders represented, by which the school revisits and revises its core values and belief statements and learning expectations for students;

* Publicize core values and beliefs statements once they are developed, and routinely use them as a point of reference;

* Develop and implement a plan to involve teachers, students and parents in meaningful and defined roles in decision-making.

The report also showed significant improvements by the Randolph Public Schools in several areas of MCAS testing scores.

However, according to the statistics, compiled by Edwin Analytics, the schools continue to lag behind the state average despite these gains.

“The growth charts show that Randolph remains behind the state,” according to Interim Superintendent Thea Stovell. “However, we are growing faster than the state in an effort to close the achievement gap.”

The Randolph School Committee voted 7-0 to name Stovell as interim superintendent in July because of her innovative approach to leadership. She was formerly the principal of the Randolph Community Middle School and bested 16 other candidates. Thomas Anderson, the former Randolph superintendent of schools, resigned his position to take over a similar post in the New Bedford school system.

In grades three through eight, Randolph’s student growth percentile (SGP) is 54.14 percent in math. Thirty-five percent of the students scored proficient or higher. While this is higher than the state average of 50.03, 48 percent of students statewide ranked proficient or higher.

English and Language Arts scores also were slightly higher in these grades. The SGP is 51.12 percent with 39 percent of the students proficient or higher. This also is higher than the state average of 50.01 percent.

"Because science is not tested yearly, the same comparisons are not made by the state,” Stovell said. “Schools are putting together more specific data to share with the community. The administrative team is action planning with teachers to determine supports for students and any curricula changes that may need to occur to increase student achievement.”

The high school MCAS, administered in grade 10, showed that Randolph High School outperformed the standard growth percentiles again but lagged only slightly in percentages of being proficient or higher.

The SGP math score was 64.09, with 71 percent being proficient or higher, according to the report. The state SGPs were 49.92 and 78 percent, respectively.

In English and Language Arts, the rates were comparable. Randolph’s SGP was 51.7, with 80 percent being proficient of higher, while the state SGP was 49.88 and 88 percent, respectively.

Mean student growth percentile (SGP) is not calculated if the number of students with SGP is less than 20.

One important statistic is that these scores were achieved despite the fact that nearly half of the students live in low-income circumstances.

Randolph School Committee chair Ida Gordon did not return several calls for comment.